UK: Israeli Academic Sues Over Boycott ‘Discrimination’ Professor Moty Cristal suing trade union, health trust, after his workshop was cancelled due to his Israeli nationality. By Ari Soffer An Israeli academic is suing one of the UK’s largest trade unions, as well as a mental healthtrust, for racial discrimination, after a his speaking engagement he […]

UN official Raquel Rolnik is looking for your personal stories about the Work Capability Assessment (WCA). Ms Rolnik has already produced a statement on the bedroom tax, recommending that it be suspended immediately. She now wants to examine all of the recent welfare changes and welcomed personal stories about the WCA and how it is […]

MANCHESTER USERS NETWORK For good mental health attend the INFORMATION MEETING! Big Changes! Important Information, rights, & news for patients! Wednesday 9th October 2013. Time, 1.30pm. Held in Recovery Education, Room 1. (Where Mainway was). Park House Hospital. ALL PATIENTS WELCOME. “We need to support and help each other”. For further details : Tel (Alan) […]

** Up to £130 to appeal fitness-to-work decisions! ** Doctors are charging sick and disabled people up to £130 for medical evidence to appeal decisions about their fitness to work, The Independent has learnt. NHS GPs are telling patients they will only provide the necessary details to challenge controversial Work Capability Assessments if they pay. […]

Jewish academic Moty Crista sues Unison for racial discrimination Professor says union unlawfully cancelled engagement because he was from Israel One of Britain’s biggest trade unions unlawfully sought the cancellation of a Jewish academic’s speaking engagement on the grounds that he was from Israel, a court has heard. Unison is being sued along with a […]

Top medics urge residents to be frank and give their views on future of city’s mental health services Tuesday 27th August 2013 Top medics urge residents to be frank and give their views on future of city’s mental health services MANCHESTER’S three clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) are urging residents, service users and carers to give […]

Meeting What do Modern Occupational Therapists do in Mental Health? Invited & Welcomed, Ruth Hartman Newly Qualified Occupational Therapist Held in Recovery Education, Room 1. (Where Mainway was). Park House Hospital. 1.30pm, Wednesday 28th August 2013. Ruth, also was a young Mental Health Carer and attended meetings to improve services for her parents and others. […]

The Next patient meeting will be at 1:30pm prompt Wednesday 14 Th August, 2013 Manchester Users Network (MUN) will meet on Wednesday 14 Th August, 2013 at the offices of MUN. As part of “It Is Time To Be Heard” campaign. It will be an occasion to allow feedback from this campaign. A published agenda […]

Our Aims: About Us

To support users and ex-users of psychiatric services in the Manchester area. The organisation provides a forum for services users to have a bona fide say in planning and provision of mental health services.

Protesters in King’s Lynn fight against mental health service cuts

Protesters took to the streets of King’s Lynn to voice their anger at what they described as “continuous” cutbacks to mental health services in west Norfolk.

Mental health cuts protest

A protest march against cuts to mental health services and the Fermoy Unit at the QEH took place in King's Lynn town centre. Picture: Matthew Usher.

More than 100 campaigners marched from The Walks through the town centre before finishing outside the Majestic Cinema.

Peter Smith, former parliamentary candidate for south-west Norfolk said: “We are in the fight of our lives here.”

The protest was triggered by the Fermoy Unit, an in-patient NHS facility in Lynn for mental health, which campaigners say faces an uncertain future. The unit was briefly closed to new admissions earlier this month, but reopened last week, albeit with fewer beds.

Mr Smith said: “In my lifetime we have never had to fight like this, but what is the alternative?”

But Debbie White, director of operations for Norfolk at the Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust, said there were now no plans to axe the Fermoy Unit.

She added: “It is right that mental health services should be valued and funded on the same level as acute health services, and it is understandable people feel passionate about the Fermoy Unit remaining open.”

Labour party activist Jo Rust insisted the issue would not disappear. She said: “They have been talking about closing it for a long time. We will fight and we will not let them do that.”

Beth Anthony, 18 of Dersingham, said: “We are here to protest against the continuous cuts to the mental health service, we think it’s unacceptable. My younger brother suffers from poor mental health and has to travel to London... That is to the detriment of my family because we have to pay for him to go down by train every single month.”